*** As Morocco, Senegal, Zambia poise for final tickets
By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Burundian U-17 women’s football team created a record of goalscoring in the FIFA Women’s World Cup African qualifiers by hitting a staggering 18 goals without conceeding any in the 18-0 away win over Djibouti in the first leg of their third round tie played at Abebe Bekila Stadium in Addis Ababa on Sunday.
This is even as three other countries Morocco, Senegal and Zambia won big in the first leg matches played last week and have now put one leg in the final round of the 2024 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Dominican Republic later in the year.
It was goals galore in a one-sided contest as Burundi went goals crazy with the young Burundian stars running riot with attackers Esperence Habonima and Roy Nzoyikorera scoring 13 goals between them in an utterly dominant display.
Habonima etched her name into the record books of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) with a remarkable seven-goal haul, hitting the target in the 7th, 52nd, 57th, 66th, 70th, 82nd and 86th minutes.
Her strike partner Nzoyikorera also was not to be outdone, however, bagging a six-goal blitz after opening the scoring with just 55 seconds on the clock and added further strikes in the 11th, 34th, 45th, 48th and 72nd minutes as Burundi ran rampant.
The overwhelming result leaves Djibouti, who had received byes in the opening two rounds, facing an uphill battle to keep their World Cup dream alive ahead of Wednesday’s return leg in Ethiopia.
For Burundi, the comprehensive first-leg victory continues their impressive run in these qualifiers, having already dispatched Botswana 4-1 and 2-0 in the previous round.
With one foot firmly in the final qualifying round, the Burundian starlets will fancy their chances of advancing to challenge either Ethiopia or Kenya for a coveted place at the U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic later this year.
Elsewhere, Morocco, Senegal and Zambia have taken significant strides towards reaching the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final as qualifiers intensified across Africa this weekend by winning their first leg ties against their opponents convincingly last week.
In Berkane, Morocco’s young Lionesses took a giant stride towards the next phase, thrashing Algeria 4-0 in a one-sided affair on Friday night.
Ines Aboucharif, Romaissa Ihssan, and Ouafae Bentahri were on target for the rampant Moroccans, who also benefitted from an Algerian own goal by Hannane Sehoul.
The comprehensive victory leaves Morocco firmly in the driving seat ahead of the second leg in Algiers on May 17th, as the North Africans seek to maintain their impressive record in the qualifiers.
Also, Senegal’s young Teranga Lionesses also grabbed a two-goal cushion in their bid to reach the final round, overcoming Liberia 3-1 in Thiès with Marie Sarr’s quickfire double putting the hosts in control before Mariama Faty extended their lead after the interval.
Brown’s late penalty for Liberia provided a glimmer of hope ahead of the return fixture in Monrovia on May 19th, but Senegal will fancy their chances of progressing
At Nkoloma Stadium, Lusaka Zambia beat Uganda 2-0 with goals from Namute Chileshe 2′
and Mukoma 70′ while two matches ended in a draw as Nigeria was held to 1-1 draw by Burkina Faso in Bamako, Mali.
Chidi Harmony’s 55′ strike handed the Flamingos a 1-0 advantage heading into the return leg in Abuja on Saturday but complacency ruined their lead as Rainata Oubda’s late equaliser for the Etalons ensured the tie remained delicately poised at 1-1.
Earlier last Friday, hosts Ethiopia and Kenya U-17 women’s team played out a barren draw at Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa and will now settle scores on Sunday when both meet again at Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi. READ ALSO:
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With the return legs just around the corner, Burundi, Morocco, Senegal and Zambia are sure of sailing through while other encounters remain finely poised, setting the stage for more drama and intrigue as the continent’s brightest young female talents go for broke.
The countries to represent Africa for the Under-17 Women’s World Cup will be known at the end of the fourth and final round of qualifiers next month.
The 2024 U17 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to be played in in the Dominican Republic fromOctober 16 to November 3 later this year.
Full Results of First-leg, 3rd Round Qualifiers:
*Djibouti 0-18 Burundi
*Ethiopia 0-0 Kenya
*Zambia 2-0 Uganda
*Morocco 4-0 Algeria
*Senegal 3-1 Liberia
*Burkina Faso 1-1 Nigeria
Full Fixtures of Second-leg, 3rd Round Qualifiers:
*Burundi-Djibouti
*Kenya-Ethiopia
*Uganda-Zambia
*Algeria-Morocco
*Liberia-Senegal
*Nigeria- Burkina Faso
